The Boat Scene A Familiar's Confession
by darkangel1326
Summary: Birthday present for LycoRogue, the fantabulous beta of mine :D. Arnold is summoned to a completely unknown world to serve as the familiar of Helga, the fiery blue-eyed mage who is nicknamed "Helga the Zero". This particular scene follows the anime, and occurs after Arnold and Helga have gone through some adventures and grown closer. Enjoy!


Hey Arnold/Zero no Tsukaima

Mini Crossover

The Boat Scene AKA Arnold's Confession

As Arnold looked around the field for the boat Olga had told him about, he couldn't help but admire his surroundings. The scenery of the Pataki's courtyard was a tranquil one. The clear blue water sparkling under the light from the sun and two moons, with the mountains set in the background. The sky was full of clouds, just like the ones from Hillwood, drifting at a peaceful rhythm.

Just as he head tilted down towards the ground, Arnold saw a boat next to a pier.

Can this be it? He wondered as he walked closer to it, with only the sound of water as his background music.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Helga was having the worst possible time visiting home.

As much as it hurt for her to admit, Helga wasn't just 'Helga the Zero' at school. Her parents and Olga were the ones  
deciding she should enter bridal training instead of stay at the Tristain Academy of Magic and  
study to become a powerful, well-known mage.

But her father, Duke Robert, told her she didn't have "to force herself to learn magic". Helga knew her father well enough  
in these past 17 years of her life to know what he was truly saying.

"You're not good at magic. Not like Olga."

Helga sighed as the first of her tears streamed down her eyes.

"Besides," Helga said as she wrapped a yellow blanket around herself, for the kind of comfort and support she  
needed right now. "I'm not in love with anyone, since Arnold likes that maid, Lila…"

The words hit her in her heart worse then anything else during her visit. She remembered last night sadly. She had gone to  
Arnold's room, and found Lila in his bed, even though he wasn't there. She could still hear Lila's words ring  
through her head numbingly.

A-Arnold called me here.

Helga knew how much Lila was in love with Arnold, but it didn't hurt her too much, because Arnold always rejected her. But, last night, Arnold didn't do such a thing.

"He likes her more then me anyway." Helga finally said, as her tears threatened to come out. She closed her eyes and brought the blanket over her head, so she could cry in peace.

All of a sudden, she felt her blanket was taken away from her face. With a small, startled gasp, she opened her eyes and saw Arnold's face.

"Helga, let's go. We're going back."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As he approached the little boat, Arnold replayed his conversation with Olga in his head.

He was lying on his straw bed, looking up at the gray bricks of his room, wondering what Helga was doing right now.

Just then, he heard a knock at his door.

"It's open!" he yelled softly, but no one came in. He sighed and walked to the door. When he opened it,  
he realized Olga was on the other side.

"May I come in?" she asked, in a soft and gentle tone.

Arnold blushed and fumbled but eventually gave an affirmative answer.

Olga only smiled and walked to sit on his straw bed. Arnold, who was a bit surprised by Olga's arrival, couldn't help but admire  
her as he sat next to her on his straw bed.

She looks so beautiful and kind and soft. I wonder if Helga will look like her when she gets older…Arnold thought,  
as his thoughts drifted to his master once more.

"Helga will look a lot more attractive than I do when she gets older," Olga smiled as she looked at Arnold.

Arnold, taken by surprise, gasped and blushed.

"You see, at this rate, Helga will have to get a groom," Olga confessed to him. Arnold looked at Olga just then, his face  
unreadable, but she continued. "You wouldn't want that, would you? Helga getting married…"

Arnold didn't say anything. Ever since he had arrived in this world, he didn't distinguish between nobility and peasants. He  
knew that Helga meant a lot to him; she had ever since the first day he got here, but, sometimes, he wasn't sure if  
he deserved her. After the incident with Viscount Brain, he knew he had to protect her.

But was it really ok for him to feel his heart beat rapidly when he saw her?

"She's in the courtyard, so go get her," Olga said, snapping Arnold out of his reverie. "Ever since she was little, she would hide  
in the boat in the courtyard whenever anything happens." Arnold, who looked questioningly at Olga,  
continued to listen. "If you find Helga, go outside of the mansion. A horse carriage will be waiting for you."

Olga then stood slightly and grabbed Arnold's head with both hands, meanwhile, Arnold made no attempt to move.

"May primogenitor's blessing be upon both you and Helga," Olga whispered softly and then lightly kissed the top of Arnold's  
forehead. She backed away slightly from Arnold and looked him sincerely in the eyes. "Please take care of my baby sister,  
Sir Knight," Olga said with a smile.

Arnold, a bit surprised by the nickname of knight, couldn't help but think that Olga really rooted for he and Helga together.

"'Knight'? You mean me?" He said aloud, to which Olga simply nodded.

Arnold shook his head as he got closer and closer to the boat. When he stepped on the little wooden pier, he heard Helga  
murmur softly and then saw her cover her face with a yellow blanket.

Arnold kneeled in front of the boat, and pulled the blanket away with his right hand. He saw tears coming out of her eyes,  
and knew he had to get her back to the academy sooner than later.

"Helga, let's go. We're going back."

"Arnold!" Helga shouted in surprise. How did he know she was at this boat? More importantly, had he heard what she  
was talking about?

"Your sister prepared a carriage for us." Arnold said, in a formal tone.

"Don't bother. I don't care about you anymore," Helga said as she turned away from her familiar.

"What are you talking about?" Arnold asked, confused about her sudden statement.

"I can't tell my family about my void magic. No matter how much I try, no one acknowledges me. I just can't take it  
anymore," Helga said, as she turned away from Arnold with a look of helplessness on her features.

Arnold, saddened by Helga's troubles, knew he had to comfort her.

"Geez…" he said as he stood and steadily walked into the boat.

Arnold took Helga's hand in both of his.

"Then let ME acknowledge you," Arnold said as Helga looked at her hand, which was tucked neatly in between both of his,  
meanwhile, Arnold continued. "I'll affirm your entire existence." He said, causing Helga to look at his face. "If it'll help you  
stand up for yourself and be happy," he finished.

Helga took one second to blush, then turned away from Arnold's truthful gaze.

"How can I even trust you? You're the one who called Li-la last night," Helga said, unwillingly to open up to someone who could hurt her worse then what she was currently suffering.

Helga had always been like this; it was most likely due to her parents' and sister's inability to properly love her. Helga  
knew Arnold was her weakness. The one thing that was good in her life, could also break her. And after what happened  
last night, when she found Lila in Arnold's bed…she just wasn't sure if she could trust him.

"Huh?" Arnold asked, confused on how Lila got into the conversation. Sure, Arnold had kind of developed a crush on  
her at the beginning, but, in the end, Arnold preferred Helga more because…

"You prefer her, right?" Helga said, with a bitter and patronizing tone.

Arnold, who snapped out of his thought, was angered by Helga's conviction. Even though he countlessly showed her  
how much he loved her, Helga believed he loved Lila. And this time, Arnold couldn't take this accusation silently.

"Criminy, are you an idiot?" Arnold shouted boldly.

"Who are YOU calling an idiot?" Helga retorted back, the flush gone from her face.

"Who would willingly please a selfish girl like you?" Arnold said, then leaned closer to her, while she leaned back. "Who would  
willingly be the familiar of a flat-chested girl?"

Helga flushed and stuttered her reply. "H-How dare you say that?"

"Yeah, well I'm not done yet!" Arnold said, as the courage entered his words. "I don't care about this war,  
these missions, or all this groom stuff!"

Helga, who couldn't help but be both hurt and surprised by his words, stuttered once again. "Well, then,  
go somewhere else then! Criminy!"

She looked at Arnold's face and saw a blush coat his cheeks.

Is he blushing because he shouted so much he needs air? Helga wondered distantly.

Meanwhile, a blushing Arnold, growled his frustration, and, before he could think twice, felt his words take over.

"I like you like you!"

Helga blushed again, as Arnold continued. "I do like you. Every time I see your face, my heart begins to race…  
that's love, right? And for you to say stuff about a maid and whatnot…" Arnold trailed off,  
while Helga felt herself gasp.

"Why else do you think I'm always risking my life to protect you? It's because I love you!" Arnold said. As soon as those words  
escaped him, he felt all his courage drain out of him, and felt his blush return. He gasped slightly  
at his boldness and tilted his head downwards.

What am I thinking? He scolded himself. I'm not a noble, and, in the end, that's what she wants.

Meanwhile, Helga felt her breathing waver and her blush come back, full force. She reached out with her hand and  
tilted his face towards her.

"If you're lying, I'll kill you," she threatened.

"It's not a lie!" Arnold said as he hugged her tightly.

Helga, who was startled by his sudden touch, instinctively pushed him away.

"W-W-Wait a minute!" She began as Arnold looked at her with an annoyed expression. "W-Well, since you swore your loyalty  
to me, by saying you love your master, y-y-you deserve a reward." Arnold blinked in confusion. "J-J-just this once," Helga said,  
as Arnold blinked once again. "Y-Y-You can touch one spot anywhere on your master's body."

Arnold, surprised by this, fell back on the boat. "I-I don't know what to say about that."

He shook his head and sat back on the boat. He looked at Helga, and knew this was her way of saying 'I love you too'. But,  
despite how much he wanted to do otherwise, he didn't want to disrespect Helga in any way. But he knew if he  
rejected her offer, she would take it offensively. But how was he supposed to be a gentlemen, without being a pervert?

The boat began to move across the lake, but Helga wasn't paying attention. Her mind was also racing with thoughts, instead.  
What is he waiting for? Why hasn't he done anything yet? Am I really that un-appealing? I thought he said he loved me.  
I thought he saw me as attractive…

But before Helga could dwell too much on these thoughts, she saw Arnold come close to her. She gulped slightly, and  
wondered exactly WHICH part he decided to touch, until, his lips were on hers.

It was something she was used to; Arnold and her kissing. He was, after all, her first kiss, and, somehow, she never thought  
anyone else would be able to compare.

Criminy! What an idiot! Out of all the places he could've touched, he seriously chose my lips? Helga thought in a bewildered,  
yet happy tune. He could've deflowered her; she did technically say one spot was his, but, instead,  
he chose her lips; the most innocent of places to use such permission.

Their kiss got so intense that Helga felt herself fall on the boat, with Arnold still kissing her. He lifted his lips for air, but couldn't  
resist kissing the side of her face.

"Hey! Arnold!" Helga said, as she felt his lips dance on her cheek's surface.

"I love you," he replied as he continued kissing her cheek.

"No Arnold," she said, as she felt his lips touch her ear. But he continued, blushing even darker. "Hey, I said no," she said,  
knowing Arnold was getting carried away.

Arnold stopped and lifted himself, so his face was looking into hers. "I love you Helga. I seriously love you," Arnold said.

"Do you really?" Helga asked. Arnold nodded. "Really? For real?" She asked again, in a small voice.  
This time, Arnold answered with a kiss.  
"Just don't do anything reckless," she said, as Arnold continued kissing the side of her face.

"I love you Helga," Arnold repeated, with his heart inside his words.

Helga, who was letting Arnold kiss her, just sighed happily. "Arnold."

-

Eventually, the boat came to a stop and Helga opened her eyes softly, as if she was just having a lovely dream, when,  
she gasped. Her mother and father were looking at her with shock and anger in their expressions. Helga quickly got up  
and threw Arnold out of the boat.

"Ow! Hey, what did you do that for?" Arnold said, as he rubbed his bottom from the sudden thud on the ground.

Arnold looked up and saw Helga's father, Duke Robert, point at him with a staff, that had a purple crystal at the top.

"Decapitate him," Robert ordered his guards to do.

Arnold instinctively reached for his sword, Derf, and saw his runes glow brightly.

"You were getting somewhere, Partner. You were a step away!" Derf teased.

"Now's not a good time," Arnold said sharply.

"Those are some good-looking guards," Derf said, trying to change the subject.

"Well…here I go," Arnold said.

He slashed his sword around him as he ran through the guards. Arnold, who's body felt as light as a feather, jumped  
to the boat and took hold of a stunned Helga, then he jumped in the air. On the floor, he heard  
some of the guards call him "inhuman".

Arnold landed in front of Robert and Miriam, but ran in the opposite direction from them, as they looked after he and Helga  
in shock.

"Don't worry about Helga, Father!" Arnold yelled back to Helga's father.

"Don't give me that crap!" Robert boomed.

Robert waved his wand towards Arnold and Helga's disappearing figured and fired a green beam. Arnold dodged it  
and kept running. Eventually, he reached the entrance of the Pataki home and jumped through,  
with Helga tight in his grasp.

However, his relief was short-lived, when he saw this big thing (he wasn't sure how to describe it. It was about the size  
of a Golem, but was a dark brown and had a back that was full of grass) pull a chain.

Arnold then noticed the chains were closing off the bridge separating he and Helga from the carriage that would take  
them back to the academy.

"Crap! What do I do now?" Arnold said, thinking his great escape was no longer possible.

But, before he could give up, a pink beam came from the mansion and turned the chains to dirt, causing the big  
golem-like thing to fall forward, since the chain it was pulling was no longer there.

Arnold looked back and saw Olga smiling and waving at he and Helga. Helga, who seemed to be stuck in a trance  
ever since her parents caught her and Arnold kissing, gave a slight smile at her sister's action. "Sister," Arnold smiled, but quickly turned  
and ran to the end of the bridge.

"Arnold!" Arnold turned and saw Lila, in the front of the carriage, waving to get his attention.

"Lila!" Arnold said. He looked at Helga, who was now less dazed, and they smiled at each other.

Arnold slid down the creature, and he and Helga hastily moved into the carriage.

We actually made it, Arnold thought as he sighed happily.


End file.
